Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
If a wookie and a weeble were ever spliced together in a strange (and obviously unethical) genetic experiment then I would be the most likely result. I live in Wales but I do not own a sheep. I do however house an overly enthusiastic chicken, two rabbits, a rat, two small things that resemble pompoms (but that my children reliably inform me are russian dwarf hamsters) and three extremely scary giant african land snails.

So far I have only written one book (Second Skin). However I am just starting a series of books (The Hellspider Series) and the first of those will be available next year.

Anyone who reads my fictionboy blog will know that I’m a geek who loves superheroes, sci-fi, monsters, mutants, cartoons, comic books and Dr Who. If I had superpowers they could include Mega Super Procrastination, Chocolate hobnob absorption, and the ability to wobble but not fall down.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is SECOND SKIN. It is a dark fantasy anthology written and illustrated by me. Well I say dark, the novellas and short stories are dark but I’ve included some lighter (and funnier) flash fiction to lighten the tone and cleanse the palette a bit as it were.

I have no idea what actually inspires me. I am an incorrigible day dreamer . Even if I’m just walking down the street to buy some milk part of me is invariably fantasizing about leaping from building to building, my imaginary cape billowing in the wind as I fight my way through hordes of demon zombie cyborgs. I also love to people watch and I like to make up outlandish back stories for the various people I meet.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I always like to kit myself out in my canary yellow and heliotrope fully fitted lycra bodysuit (with matching cape and mask).

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker, Iain Banks and Terry Pratchett are my favourite authors. Their books are just so imaginative and full to the brim with ideas, themes and perspectives. It would be a hard job to read them and not feel inspired.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on HELLSPIDER which is the first of a series of pulp super hero novels. The main character is a witty and sarcastic mid league villain who ends up way out of his depth. Here’s the blurb:

“The Hellspider is not happy. There is something rotten in the City of Darklake and for once it isn’t him. When a simple heist goes wrong he finds himself the most popular guy in town and for all the wrong reasons. Now everyone wants a bit of him (or wants him in bits) and he gets caught in the crossfire between a seemingly immortal, brooding vigilante and the scariest man in the world. It will take more than a fine line in sarcasm and a rather dashing sneer for Hellspider to stay one step ahead of certain death.”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
In all honesty I simply don’t know yet. My main avenue of promotion at the moment is my website and my blog. I try to fill my blog with fun and interesting stuff that I hope will attract geeks like me. If they enjoy the blog then hopefully they will trust me enough to want to buy my books too.

I have tried social media but to be honest I found it too addictive and too distracting. My main aim at the moment is to be prolific and just get my stories completed, to get my ideas and characters out of my head and into the world.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read “Write, Publish, Repeat” by Johnny B Truant and Sean Platt.

Follow Dean Wesley Smiths Blog.

Check out “The Creative Penn” website.

And don’t give up!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It’s can be hard trying to being a writer. Most of us already have day jobs, families and loads of commitments. Many of us end up burning the midnight oil and I’m sure I’m not the only one to wake up occasionally at 2.oo am face down on the keyboard (dribbling) having been woken up by my own snoring. But I suppose the question is how much do you really want to do it? If you have a dream then you should pursue it. We all wander through life as if we have all the time in world, as if we are somehow immortal and that there will always be a tomorrow. Make the most of what you have now and follow those dreams.

And the other best pieces of advice I’ve ever received are – “never underestimate a hungry chicken”, “never eat more than you can lift” and “never trust Lex Luthor (he’s sneaky)”.

What are you reading now?
Dr Who – Engines of War.

What’s next for you as a writer?
A fortnight off from writing so that my family can have definitive proof that I am still alive. Then straight back in the saddle for Hellspider (yeehah!).

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
OOH this is a good one. I would pick “American Gods” by Neil Gaiman, “Imajica” by Clive Barker, “Consider Phlebas” by Iain Banks and absolutely everything by Terry Pratchett.

Author Websites and Profiles
John Ibbotson Website
John Ibbotson Amazon Profile
John Ibbotson Author Profile on Smashwords

John Ibbotson is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m the product of when a five-year-old boy who fell in love with Guy William’s Zorro becomes a mostly functional adult. I now write historical adventure novels and short stories. When not writing about swashbucklers I practice swashbuckling, studying period fencing manuals in historical fencing.

At the moment I’ve written three short-stories and one story collection, and am working on a full-length historical adventure novel that takes place during King Henry IV of France’s reign.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book is JAKE HAWKING & THE BOUNTY HUNTERS. It’s a collection of the first three Jake Hawking Adventure short stories that were originally available as solo short stories. Now all three are collected in one book and includes some bonus short stories and swashbuckling poems.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I still hold down a day job so I write whenever I can, usually during the lunch break or at night on the couch. Nothing crazy, nothing weird. I keep it simple.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Rafael Sabatini is, by far, my favorite author. He really knew how to turn a phrase and he pretty much took all the greatest lines and descriptions and left the rest of us writers with just scraps. He’s a fantastic writer. Also on the list is Alexandre Dumas and Arturo Perez-Reverte.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a historical adventure novel that takes place in early 17th Century France (pre-Musketeer era), during the reign of King Henri IV. It has sword fights, highwaymen, brave chevaliers, hooded and masked assassins, shadowy figures and political intrigue. I’m currently on the second round of revision and it should be ready for publication early-winter.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Sites like AwesomeGang are a great way to get in front of new readers. Running giveaways with rafflecopter has also been a huge boon to getting new followers on social media (which helps lead to new reader), and doing blog hops with other authors in my genres.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write the story you want to write. Be brutally honest with yourself when you revise but make sure you have a friend or two to keep you from permanently hitting the delete button on the story. Have fun, dream big, and write whenever you can.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write the story you want to read.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading ‘The Lies of Locke Lamora’ by Scott Lynch.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish this second round of edits on the new book, while figuring out what the next story will be.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Captain Alatriste
Captain Blood
The Three Musketeers
The Most Dangerous Game

Author Websites and Profiles
J.M. Aucoin Aucoin Website
J.M. Aucoin Aucoin Amazon Profile

J.M. Aucoin Aucoin’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

J.M. Aucoin Aucoin is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in Raleigh, North Carolina, and I write true crime. I review all aspects of a given crime, but I focus primarily on verbal and written statements. I try to uncover hidden or implied meaning in what people say to better understand their thought-processes and motivations. I have written several short pieces and I have completed two books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Isolated Incident: Investigating the Death of Nancy Cooper.” Nancy Cooper was murdered in 2008 just outside of Raleigh, North Carolina, which makes it a local crime for me. She was beautiful, fun-loving, popular, and seemed to have the ideal life. As a result, her murder garnered a tremendous amount of media coverage. When law enforcement zeroed in on her husband, Brad Cooper, the case received even more attention.

My interest in this case was mainly driven by the misguided nature the police investigation and the appalling aspects of his prosecution and conviction. It was a huge display of injustice, coupled with the fact that Nancy’s killer(s) remains at large. I felt I had to investigate further, which resulted in me writing a book about her murder and the aftermath.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write as the mood strikes me, rather than on a consistent basis, and I rarely write in chronological order.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have learned a lot from many of the true crime books I have read, but my style is different than what is considered traditional true crime. I write with a more analytic approach. I enjoy Malcolm Gladwell’s style of writing, though he is far from true crime. He presents a compelling argument, but his goal is to get you to think, rather than believe or agree with what he is writing.

What are you working on now?
I am in the idea phase for my next book. During this time, I do a considerable amount of research trying to find unsolved crimes that will interest me so much that I am willing to spend a year obsessing over it.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think word-of-mouth is the best form of book promotion. It requires having a strong social network, but most authors spend more time at home in front of the computer than out meeting people.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write and write and write. Capture everything on paper. Worry about the end goal and the organization later.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Stress is a result of how you react to a given circumstance, not what specific circumstance(s) you may face.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading “Columbine.” It has been slow going as I am more focused on writing than reading these days. However, there is one aspect of “Columbine” that sets it apart from most any other book I have ever read. It addresses head-on the complexities surrounding people’s motivations without trying to place them into a narrative.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Book #3, but I don’t know when it will be completed or even the topic at this point. However, #3 is a certainty.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Though the point of this question is to illicit my list of great books, I would have a survival book, a medical book, and maybe one thought-provoking read, such as “Catcher in the Rye.”

Author Websites and Profiles
John Taylor Website

John Taylor is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and raised just north of Austin, Texas. At age 19, I moved to Oregon. A writer since a young boy, I have always aspired to be a full time novelist. My favorite authors, Charles Dickens and Dean Koontz, have powerfully influenced my own writing. “Falling Stars” is my debut book, a thriller-suspense novel he hopes will be the first of many to delight and entertain. Prior to publishing my first novel, I have written numerous thriller-suspense novels, learning my craft. These books include: Doorways, Shadows, The Assassin, Civil Strife and This Fiery War.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is “Falling Stars” and I wanted to write from a pre-teen’s perspective, particularly from a 12 year old’s eyes, but in the context of an adult suspense-thriller story. I thought this would give me a fun challenge as a writer, as well as present a unique story for the genre.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I will write a page, and then go over it 20, 30, 40 times before going to the next page. In this way I perfect my prose, while the characters and story percolate in my mind, and by the time I am ready to write the next page of story, I never have writer’s block. Also, by the time I finish my novel, I have very little editing left to do.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Dean Koontz and Charles Dickens have probably had the most powerful influence upon my writing. I love how they both paint the mind with colors using their words. Their rich portrait of scene, characters, time and place always attracted me.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a new suspense-thriller novel that will be the first in a series. The premise is:

Jack Firestone is a mild mannered courier in Portland, Oregon with a mysterious past he has tried to forget by embracing the mundane. But on what he thinks is a routine delivery, a package is thrust into his hands with a strange note: Go under the Fremont Bridge. Come alone. No police. Ignore these instructions and everyone you love will be dead in 3 days.

Jack is quickly pulled into what soon becomes an international wide conspiracy of the most dangerous terrorists in the world. And it becomes clear what the final endgame is: three American cities will be nuked in 3 days.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love using the free promotional periods KDP Select offers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Your characters should drive the story. Your characters should surprise you. If you do not necessarily know where the story is going, and are surprised by the twists and turns the plot takes, that will ensure your readers will also be riveted.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Always keep writing. Never quit.

What are you reading now?
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will be working on the Jack Firestone series mentioned above.

I also may tackle an end-times apocalyptic suspense thriller book.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible

David Copperfield

The Great Gastby

One Door Away From Heaven

From the Corner of His Eye

Author Websites and Profiles
Daniel Lee Amazon Profile

Daniel Lee is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Since childhood I’ve been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. But I’d already begun writing novels at 21, over forty-two years ago now, and have had twenty (ten romantic horror, two horror novels, two romantic SF horror, one romantic suspense, one romantic time travel, one historical romance and three murder mysteries) previous novels, two novellas and twelve short stories published from Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books/Eternal Press; and I’ve self-published my last five novels with Amazon Kindle Direct and my dinosaur novels are my best-sellers.

I’ve been married to Russell for thirty-six years; have a son, James, and two grandchildren, Joshua and Caitlyn, and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois, which is right across the JB Bridge from St. Louis, Mo. We have three quirky cats, ghost cat Sasha, live cats Cleo and Sasha (Too), and the five of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.

2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* for my horror novel The Last Vampire-Revised Author’s Edition ~ 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* for her thriller novel Dinosaur Lake

*All her Audible.com audio books here:

http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_mn_at_ano_tseft__galileo?advsearchKeywords=Kathryn+Meyer+Griffith&x=17&y=16

Novels and short stories from Kathryn Meyer Griffith:

Evil Stalks the Night, The Heart of the Rose, Blood Forge, Vampire Blood, The Last Vampire,

Witches, The Nameless One short story, The Calling, All Things Slip Away, Egyptian Heart,

Winter’s Journey, The Ice Bridge, Don’t Look Back, Agnes, Before the End: A Time of Demons, The Woman in Crimson, Human No Longer, Four Spooky Short Stories Collection, Scraps of Paper, Dinosaur Lake, Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising

My Websites:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kathryn-Meyer-Griffith/579206748758534

http://www.authorsden.com/kathrynmeyergriffith

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/889499.Kathryn_Meyer_Griffith

***

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising

It’s a sequel to a thriller, Dinosaur Lake, I actually wrote over 20 years ago and two years ago revised, updated and self-published…my first ever self-published novel after 15 traditionally published with different publishers over the years since 1984. Now I have 6 self-published novels plus thos 15 and almost all 21 are now in Audible audio books.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No. I like to write on my laptop on my sofa watching TV and with a cup of my homemade chocolate coffee besides me. Not so weird, huh?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The classic horror authors like Anne Rice, Dan Simmons, Stephen King and Dean Koontz. I also like Joe Hill, his writing reminds me of his father’s. Lately, though, I can’t seem to find any new horror writers I really love, but I’ll keep looking. I like the traditional horror where it’s the story and the characters that count, and believable motivation for what they do or don’t do…not profanity, graphic gore or sex. And I want excellent writing. Writers break the rules if you must, but keep me interested enough to continue reading.

What are you working on now?
I’ve began the second sequel to my 2014 Epic EBook Awards *Finalist* novel Dinosaur Lake and Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising, Dinosaur lake III: Infestation and I just self-published my revised sequel to my murder mystery Scraps of Paper, All Things Slip Away , with a stunning new cover by Dawne Dominique. After that I plan on finishing (I wrote half of it eight years ago but set it aside) the long awaited sequel to my 1994 Witches and the second in my BEFORE THE END series, A Time of Demons (now also an audio book with a great narrator! at Audible.com). After those more horror novels and stories. If I have the time left.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Giving my Kindle eBooks away free on Amazon and posting about them all over Facebook and Goodreads and all my writer/reader loops.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
First, you’ve got to love the genre you write in. I’ve always been crazy about the supernatural…ghosts, vampires, the dark side of human nature, good versus evil, the end of the world stuff. Stories that scare me but also have the best of human nature in them along with the bad. Truth is, most of my books combine many genres: adventure, paranormal, suspense, horror, mystery and romance. My actual genre is a mutt genre. Publishers still don’t know how to label me. I was known as a horror writer in the beginning but in the last 40 years I’ve written and published many genres. The only thing I don’t write is the formulated historical romances or explicit erotic novels. Not into those at all.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep writing, never give up…AND DON’T READ YOUR OWN REVIEWS, ha, ha.

What are you reading now?
A few spooky novels on my Kindle by Indie authors…

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to finish up the last two of my 20 audio books (I’ve been doing them through ACX the last year and a half) and then to write another novel. And after writing for traditional publishers for over 30 years, I want to keep self-publishing and learn more about it and how best to promote myself. Next year I begin getting 15 of my previously published novels from my publisher and will self-publish each one. Lots of promotion.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible

A book by Ray Bradbury

Three books by Stephen King

Author Websites and Profiles
Kathryn Meyer Griffith Website
Kathryn Meyer Griffith Amazon Profile

Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Kathryn Meyer Griffith is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am from Brazil and live in Orange County.

I’ve had a very different life story from the age of 6.

My family and I went to live in Lagos, Nigeria in the beginning of 1981. My father disappeared in the beginning of 1985 and my mom shipped my brothers and I to Brazil to stay at my grandmother’s house. She stayed behind to try and help my dad. He had been arrested by the police and charged with industrial espionage.

Six months later my mom returns to Brazil and we move from my grandma’s to our own apartment. My mom starts drinking every day to cope with the pain of never knowing if my father would ever come home and I became her favorite punching bag.

My dad managed to escape from Africa in 1986 and went home in July. My mom’s drinking got heavier with time and the abuse continued.

At the age of 13 I started to gain weight and for 10 years I weighed between 180 and 220 pounds.

I dropped out of law school and resigned from Price Waterhouse in 1997 to backpack around Europe and try to rescue myself. That’s when I admitted that I was addicted to food, just like my mom to alcohol. I never felt that she loved me and always felt rejected, which influenced all of my relationships as I was growing up.

I donated my eggs to a friend who wanted to have children. She has twin girls.

I finally lost close to 80 pounds after I met a guy who fell in love with me, despite my weight and the belief that people were only going to like me if I were thin started to be questioned by me and I was able to let go of it.

I passed the bar, opened my own practice and started my masters, which gave me the opportunity to be a teacher at universities in Brazil.

I met my husband through a website dating service and in 2006 we got married. It was a toxic relationship, because that was the only kind I knew and 13 months later I filed for divorce. In the meantime I dropped law and became an image consultant at the age of 32.

6 months after that I was on a weekly national radio chat and 6 months after that on national tv co hosting makeover shows. When I embraced my new profession I created a new me. I became Milla Mathias (my birth name is Camilla Teixeira de Freitas). I wrote and published 2 books regarding image and style. Both are in Portuguese.

In 2012 I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and my priorities changed. My career was no longer the number one priority.

Of course that I had disastrous relationships all along because of my low self esteem. Although I had lost close to 80 pounds I still had the fat girl inside me thinking I wasn’t good enough for anyone to love.

It all changed when I had cancer. At the end of 2012 I met a man in Birmingham, Alabama and 2 months later I was living with him. We got married in April of 2013 and we have been together ever since.

When I was a lawyer I wrote a book about civil law and my theses on contractual law.

Cancer taught me several things, but most importantly it showed me that people are the most valuable asset in our lives.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Written in The Stars, The Art of Letting Go and Starting Over. My life’s story inspired me to write this book because I believe I am a survivor and I can inspire people to go after themselves, happiness and dreams.

My growing faith in God inspired me as well.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes. I wake up at 1:30 in the morning and write until 6. Go back to bed, wake up at 9 and continue to work on my books.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle

Several by Marianne Williamson

Deepak Chopra

Conversations with God – vol. 1

The books by Sophie Kinsella and Marian Keyes.

What are you working on now?
On marketing and promoting my latest book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still learning…

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Believe in yourselves and take time to really perfect your work. This book has been a project of mine since 2009, but I only started writing it in 2012 and only in 2014 I became very pleased with it and published it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write like you talk.

What are you reading now?
Articles on how to promote and market my book.

What’s next for you as a writer?
A sequel.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Antony Robbin’s “Awake the Giant Within”, Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now” and “A Course in Miracles”

Author Websites and Profiles
Milla Mathias Website
Milla Mathias Amazon Profile

Milla Mathias’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Milla Mathias is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been a closeted writer for thirty-odd years—from way back when I was banging out stories on a Commodore 64 to my years writing the corporate strategies for some of the largest companies in the world. But it was two years ago, laid up after foot surgery, that I started to seriously consider whether it was time to come out as the novelist she’d always wanted to be.

Complicated Creatures Part One was published in April. Over the summer, I published Complicated Creatures 1.5, a novella, which is available free on my website. Now available for pre-order and due to be published October 24, 2014 is Complicated Creatures Part Two. Part Three wil be out sometime in 2015.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I was inspired to write books with strong female characters – something I feel is often lacking. Samantha Wyatt has been compared to a “female James Bond” and definitely fits the bill for being strong but still vulnerable and feminine.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wrote the first book in the Complicated Series while on the road, traveling through the desert of California and Utah. Traveling is crucial for me as a writer, but music is even more important.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Anne Rice is the author whose books made me say, “Yeah, that’s what I want to do.” You can’t get better than that.

What are you working on now?
I’m just putting the finishing touches on Complicated Creatures Part Two, then plan to disappear off the grid for a while to recharge. Two books and a novella in one year is a lot of keyboard pounding.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Why this one, my darling.

What I’ve learned is that it’s not as much about where but about consistently and persistently continuing to talk about and tell everyone about your books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Hire a book cover designer, an editor, and someone to help you market. You cannot do it all.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just. Keep. Writing.

What are you reading now?
A Better World (Brilliance Saga, #2) by Marcus Sakey and Standard Operating Procedure by Philip Gourevitch.

What’s next for you as a writer?
After the much-deserved break, I’ll be jumping back into the action with Sam, Jack, and Wes with Complicated Creatures Part Three.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Vampire Series from Anne Rice.

Author Websites and Profiles
Alexi Lawless Website
Alexi Lawless Amazon Profile

Alexi Lawless’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Alexi Lawless is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I wrote my first book in high school. It is terrible. I thought it was the most EPIC BOOK EVAR, at the time. Woo, yeah. Bad. Things have steadily gotten better in the subsequent dozen or so books. Every time I write a book, seventeen other ideas spark. It’s getting crowded in my brain….and I’m kind of okay with that.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“A Griffin Scorned” is my latest book. A multitude of things inspired it. The massage parts are my perspective when I’m giving a massage. Few people know what it’s like in a massage therapist’s head and it was fun to share that with others. I might have had an alterior motive of making people want massage.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I need music with words playing to write to. Not just any music. It has to be music I know well enough to sing to without thinking about it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are several books that inspired me by being bad (which I shall not mention). But authors I aspire to be: Steinbeck; J. K. Rowling, Gail Carriger, Orwell, Ilona Andrews, Bill Konigsburg.

What are you working on now?
I am polishing up a one-handed, one-eyed witch story (Diary of a Mad Black Witch), I have an emerging fury story that is title-less, and and outline for the sequel of A Griffin Scorned.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My best promoting website for promotions remains Facebook. I’ve fostered a lot of strong relationships via social networking. But the best promotion method is face to face contact.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
The first book is always crap, no matter how much you love it. That is fine. That is normal. Just keep working. You will only get better by continuing to write. Also, never forget the importance of reading.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia.

What are you reading now?
Hyperspace by Michio Kaku and Sailor Song by Ken Kasey.

What’s next for you as a writer?
MORE BOOKS

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Decameron by Niccolo Boccaccio. Beauty: A Retelling by Robin McKinley. My Story by Alicia Appelman-Jurmann. Charlotte’s Web.

Author Websites and Profiles
Veronica R. Calisto Website

Veronica R. Calisto is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I completed this form previously, but in case it’s lost in the stratosphere: I’d always written but took up fiction after moving to be closer to our daughter. Setting up practice in a new community was really difficult and after dreaming I was a famous Mills & Boon author I decided to give it a go, even though I didn’t read romantic fiction. It is MUCH more difficult than I thought it would be! I made it easier for myself by setting my first series (4 stories so far) in Polynesia, where we’d live for many years. I know what it’s like to live on an isolated island with infrequent shipping and the occasional hurricane and erotic dancing under the moon. And experienced first hand the challenges of living in a culture so very different from the one I’d been raised in.

Anyway, I began the Southern Seas Historical Series and decided to set it a hundred or more years ago. It’s about people who journey to Polynesia for all sorts of reasons and make their home there. At that time the South Pacific was rapidly changing with increased shipping and European settlement in New Zealand and Australia. Polynesia was a little quieter – just an influx of traders and missionaries and teachers!

I’ve written four novels so far and have another that should be complete early next year. I’ve also written a trio of books in the Now and Then Series – about women who for some reason become “mature” students, i.e. they defer entry to tertiary education much older than the usual late teenage.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Shattered” is part of the Now and Then Series. The heroine is about to start university with a group of friends from school. The day before she’s due to travel she’s involved in a car accident that kills her father and leaves her mother bedridden. All her plans are in turmoil and change.

As I said, I was a mature student myself and what surprised me was how many other men and women were “mature” too. We all did surprisingly well, but then we were beyond the age of missing deadlines because of parties or boyfriends! The stories of my heroines and heroes are not based on the stories told to me, but they sometimes include a fragment that has developed into a rather different story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really, though I think of myself as a professional. I see myself as a writer and treat writing seriously.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love John le Carre and the Scandinavian writers – Jo Nesbo and Henning Mankell. I hadn’t read romantic fiction until I saw Lavyrle Spencers’ books in a bookshop. The Gamble is still my favourite romance. I also enjoy Mary Balogh, Philippa Gregory and Barbara Ewing.

What are you working on now?
“Mistake” – set on a tiny Polynesian island. The longterm missionary and his wife are planning their departure from their island. They will travel to the new colony of New South Wales where their children will live with the sort of people they would have met had they remained in England.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I haven’t found one yet, although you assisted my promotion a year or two ago and that helped with downloads.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write because you want (or need) to rather than look for huge sales.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be interested in the lives of your characters.

What are you reading now?
Mary Balogues’ “The Escape” and John Fowles” “A Maggot”

What’s next for you as a writer?
Another South Seas adventure

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Spencer “The Gamble”

Nesbo “Son”

Domning “Spring’s Fury”

Author Websites and Profiles
Gwen w/a Gwendoline Reekie w/a Ewins Website

Gwen w/a Gwendoline Reekie w/a Ewins is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a first time novelist from Essex, England. At the moment, I have written just the one book, but I am working on the sequel, as well as a standalone book and several short stories.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first and latest book is a heroic fantasy called ‘Exile.’ I have always devoured fantasy books, yet never really considered writing something of novel length. I always used to write short stories, a chapter of something here and there. It wasn’t until I wrote one particular chapter (the second in the book), that I realised I wanted to go somewhere with it. I had some other short stories of about a chapter’s length, and I realised that they could be made to fit together. I had unconsciously created characters who inhabited the same world, and so I began to stitch them together and the story went from there. ‘Exile’ is inspired by my favourite authors and everything from video games, to horror movies — anything I thought had a place in my world, it’s in there.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am unusual in that I write predominantly by hand with a fountain pen. I find it makes what I write more fluid, maybe because it gives me time to think. I know that typing would be quicker and easier, but it feels a bit too clinical for me, and I always end up binning half of what I write. With my method, I still discard bits and change things, but by writing it in ink and then typing it up, I allow myself an early edit. Often the prose that ends up on the screen is quite different (and hopefully better) than what is in the notebook.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
George R.R. Martin (what modern writer of fantasy can say he is not an influence?), Wilbur Smith, probably the greatest action writer ever (‘When the Lion Feeds’ is an incredible read), Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden, princes of historical fiction both, and finally my favourite, David Gemmell. Mr Gemmell’s simply told stories stayed with me through my childhood and teenage years and if there was ever a writer who I wished I could emulate even slightly, it’s him.

What are you working on now?
I am working on the sequel to ‘Exile,’ a short story tentatively called ‘Tomb,’ and a novel that I keep coming back to about a man on a desert island.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m not really sure yet. I gave a lot away during a free promotion and I have been getting some very kind reviews. Still waiting for the snowball effect to kick in. I try and offer people free copies of my book, promote other writers where I can, etc. Marketing is very much a work in progress for me.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read. Stephen King said it better than me but the sentiment is the same. If you want to write then read. Chefs eat, sellers buy, and artists observe. You have to be a consumer if you want to understand how to be a producer. Also, have a thick skin. Some people are going to hate you, and the internet has all of the accountability of the Asphodel Fields, so don’t take everything to heart. You will though, because you’re a writer

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do you really want to be sitting here in a year’s time wishing you had started today? If you want to be something, get on with it.

What are you reading now?
‘King of Thorns’ by Mark Lawrence. Very good.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The next book. Hopefully more people will read the first one and I can start making some waves. One day I hope to be able to make a living as a writer. Until then, it’s squeezing it in around an 11 hour work day, food, fitness and sleep.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
‘Legend’ and ‘Waylander,’ both by David Gemmell, and the ‘Codex Gigas.’ It’s so big, I could make a boat out of it!

Author Websites and Profiles
Tom Stacey Website
Tom Stacey Amazon Profile
Tom Stacey Author Profile on Smashwords

Tom Stacey’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tom Stacey is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My day job is in music. I’m a bass guitarist. Yep, chick bass player. I’ve written four books so far. My first novel, The Land Uncharted, will be released October 21, 2014. My husband and I live in Nashville. We frequently perform and tour together. When I’m not writing stories or playing bass, I enjoy dancing, having coffee with friends, and sifting through vintage books at antique stores.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Land Uncharted. It’s the first book in the Uncharted series. I love several different genres, but I was ready for a new story, so I decided to mix it up. The Land Uncharted is an unusual mix of science fiction, historical fiction, and romance. Some call it a genre-blender or a mash-up. I wasn’t out to break genre rules; I simply wanted to take what I love about several genres and use those elements in an original story. I started with a question: What if an uncharted land existed but was undetectable to modern technology? That’s the science fiction element. I was inspired by my family history research. My ancestors migrated to the American West during the mid-1800’s. I thought: what if during that era a few families wanted to find a whole new land instead of going west? What if they packed a ship, ran aground on an uncharted land, and founded a new society there? That’s what gives The Land Uncharted its historical fiction feel. Finally, I believe romance is truly one of the most magnificent parts of life. One of. I also like to give these women cool jobs, big adventures, and some character development so they are ready to love when the time comes.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not only do I work on writing about 40-50 hours a week, I’m also a working musician, a homeschool mom, and I help my husband with his business, so I have pens and notebooks and sticky notes in every room of the house. When I get to sit at the computer, I compile all those notes and start writing. It took a few months of trying every day to be able to shift my focus from my other duties to my writing, but I’ve finally got the hang of it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ernest Hemingway – for his athletic prose. The Sun Also Rises is my all time favorite book.

Angela Ewell Hunt – I’ve only read one of her novels, which I adored, but her influence on my writing has been through her series Writing Lessons from the Front.

Oswald Chambers – I don’t know how many times I’ve read My Utmost for His Highest and still every time some line sticks out like I’ve never read it before.

Eleanor Catton – Let’s face it: Catton’s command of the English language is second to none.

Robert Frost – I could get lost in his poetry for hours.

John MacArthur – for his Bible commentary. He makes me look up words while I’m looking up words.

Jack London – for The Call of the Wild, the first book I voluntarily read twice.

William Shakespeare – because at thirteen I opened a copy of Othello (of all things!) and learned there was more to the English language than I ever dreamed.

Donald Maass – for the questions at the end of each chapter in Writing 21st Century Fiction.

King David – Yes, the Psalms are attributed to several different authors, but I’m most fond of David’s Psalms. He was so real—a big sinner and a big repenter. I can relate.

What are you working on now?
The Uncharted series was originally going to be 3 books. I’m plotting my next stories now and the possibility of extending the Uncharted series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m a newbie at this, so I’m trying everything.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Grow thick skin.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Grow thick skin.

What are you reading now?
Uncharted Inheritance, the third book in the Uncharted series, for my final revision.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More novels. I love living in the process of novel-writing.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible, Shakespeare’s Sonnets, and War and Peace for its high page count for kindling.

Author Websites and Profiles
Keely Brooke Keith Website
Keely Brooke Keith Amazon Profile
Keely Brooke Keith Author Profile on Smashwords

Keely Brooke Keith’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Keely Brooke Keith is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I write paranormal/fantasy books with romantic elements, usually set in iconic cities like New Orleans, San Francisco, etc. Growing up in New Orleans, I was always fascinated with Gothic architecture, cemeteries, and other paranormal things.

I’ve written about 10 short stories and 4 books so far. Three books are in my Elemental Clan Series, and I also wrote No Grits No Glory, which is Book 1 of the Southern Ghosts series. I plan to have more books released in both series in the next year, so stay tuned!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
No Grits No Glory. It’s a suspense ghost story set in Savannah, Georgia. So many things inspired it! I love Savannah; it is such a haunted place anyway. My husband’s family had all (at one time or another) stayed in one apartment in our local area. Some relatives lived there briefly after a divorce, some college grads stayed there, but this one apartment had about 4-10 different people live there over a decade or more. It got me to thinking: What if those walls could talk?

That led to the ghost story, which led to the intrigue, etc. The book has evolved over the years, but I’m happy with it now.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Only that I need caffeine and music to write. I write better in cafes than at home, and I use headphones to help tune out all the din.

I do make “soundtracks” for each book. Each book is different, has a unique theme, and somehow the playlist evolves during the writing of the first draft. Even now, if I hear a song off my playlist, I am immediately taken back to the characters of that particular story.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Those authors who have great characters but also great plots. I love Dennis Lehane’s crime novels. He can make the words sing, much like Pat Conroy or Terry Kay.

I also like most genres and tend to read widely.

What are you working on now?
I’m finishing the touches on my Elemental Book #4 while plotting/planning/outlining the ghost series book #2, along with outlining for a few offshoot novels. My brain multi-tasks!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve had good success with a few websites like e-reader news today and other venues. Bottom line, it takes time to build a following.

My website is www.elainecalloway.com and I like to think it is all comprehensive with info.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Continue to write, believe in your writing, and always back up your material! My brand new laptop broke 3/4 of the way into writing my very first book. I had to retype 100 pages (I had them printed out, thank goodness) and I completely lost 60 pages that I had to recreate. Never again – always always back up your documents!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To enjoy the process. Writing is solitary; if you’re going to be a writer, you’re going to spend a lot of time alone. You need to be excited by your story, enough to push through when you don’t feel like writing. To keep that excitement no matter what is great advice.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading a few novellas by KF Breene. I just finished JOYLAND written by Stephen King.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep the books coming! I have so many ideas for books and not enough time to write them all I hope to plan and put out 4 books at least in 2015. I also have another idea for a contemp romance series.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Life of Pi

Anything by Dennis Lehane

Eat Pray Love

Author Websites and Profiles
Elaine Calloway Website
Elaine Calloway Amazon Profile
Elaine Calloway Author Profile on Smashwords

Elaine Calloway’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Elaine Calloway is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Born in Seattle, I’ve lived in Bellingham and Los Angeles, and now I’m in Walla Walla. I’d like to move back to Seattle to be close to family and friends again but I want a little cabin to escape to somewhere in the Cascades. I’ve written two books to date, Making Room for You: A Practical Guide to Organizing your Home and Your Power: Affirmations for Transformation. I’ve had countless day jobs: waitress; admin for non-profits, law and architectural firms, and the healthcare industry; bookmark maker; winery harvest intern/production assistant; professional organizer; freelance editor. I was a mailman for 5 months. I’m working on selling enough books to bankroll my obsession with writing. It’s out of hand. I could write 23 hours a day and not tire of it.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Making Room for You: A Practical Guide to Organizing Your Home. I have been organizing homes and offices for the past six years. I’ve always loved to organize but working with people and their belongings is an extraordinarily fascinating, humbling and illuminating experience. People share their lives with you as they go through the sorting process. It’s primal, emotional and revelatory, a few of my favorite states of being. I wanted to consolidate easy organizing methods because most competing titles are gigantic tomes. I can’t imagine someone overwhelmed by too much stuff wanting to read a 300+ page book about how to deal with it. So brevity and usefulness were paramount. I also wanted to include the emotional and psychological sides to getting your home or office in order. I see an absence of that in most books on this topic even though they are undeniable and inherent elements to the process of getting organized.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know how to gauge that. They’re so ingrained that I wouldn’t recognize them as unusual, but other people might. I’ll write anywhere. I have to use a pen and paper to initially get my thoughts down. Pilot V5 pens and Peter Pauper Press journals or Mead 5 Star notebooks. I’m fastidious about that. I edit and go through several drafts the same way before I consider typing anything up. I write in cursive. I feel like the act of physical writing is a necessary component. It influences my thoughts and what I wind up writing. I drink a lot of coffee and water when I write during the day and I sip beer or tea when I write at night.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Dostoevsky, Steinbeck, Tolstoy, D.H. Lawrence, Rumi. More recently Tom Franklin, Elizabeth Strout, Smith Henderson, Matthew Thomas, Alice Hoffman, Herman Koch, Friedrich Durrenmatt, Maira Kalman, Stephen King, Craig Thompson, John Green, Megan Abbott and Gillian Flynn. Too many American poets to list (okay, Mark Strand, Alan Dugan, Mary Oliver, Elizabeth Bishop, Emily Dickinson, W.S. Merwin, Frank O’Hara, Anne Sexton, W.D Snodgrass, Theodore Roethke, and Billy Collins among others) and the great Pablo Neruda.

What are you working on now?
I am currently transcribing and editing over 87 journals I’ve kept since I was a child. I’ll be releasing them in 80,000-word volumes chronologically. I’m curious about how they will be received because I don’t know of anyone (other than Karl Ove Knausgaard) who has attempted something similar. And even he has written them under “fiction.” I don’t have that safety net which is why I’ll be using a pen name and publishing quasi-anonymously.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m on the slow train to creating my website and I need to get on that. My favorite social media site is Twitter. As far as promotion, I’m surprised to find that it’s fun. It’s basically creating professional relationships with people who share your interests and exchanging relevant, engaging content. For self-published authors, may I suggest the blog angelsintheunderworld.com. Her “For Writers” section is a wealth of information with writing tips, promo suggestions, and lists of contacts for reviews. It’s been a goldmine for me.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing. Editors are your friends. It’s easier than ever to get your books into the world. Use the glory of the internet age to your advantage. Educate yourself on the basics of formatting and design or pay someone to do it for you. Readers for your work are out there. You just need to find them.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Some will, some won’t. So what? Someone’s waiting.” Or as Winston Churchill put it, “When going through hell, keep going.”

What are you reading now?
We Are Not Ourselves – Matthew Thomas

The Children Act – Ian McEwan

The Museum of Extraordinary Things – Alice Hoffman

Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill

The Ploughmen – Kim Zupan

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continuing to promote my books. Transcribing and editing my journal project. Devising and launching a campaign for the journals.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
A coffee table book of Van Gogh’s paintings

Aesop’s Fables

Remebrance of Things Past – Marcel Proust

A book of New York Times Sunday crossword puzzles

Author Websites and Profiles
Meghan Hill Website
Meghan Hill Amazon Profile

Meghan Hill’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Meghan Hill is a post from Awesome Gang